Naruto: Friendships
by xXYamchaXx
Summary: A group of one-shots about different friendships in the Naruto world, Chp1 Naruto/Shikamaru Chp2 Naruto/Sai/Sakura
1. Hyper and Lazy

-1Naruto: Friendship

I don't own Naruto or its characters.

One-shot

The moon shined brightly over Konaha, as most of the town late peaceably in their beds a sleep. In fact almost the whole town was asleep at this hour, but there were a few who were still awake at this late hour. There were guards who were always on duty to make sure nothing dangerous approached the village. There where people in town as well who were to make sure that no crimes took place while everyone was asleep. As well as people working in the hospitals to help people who have been injured. Still given these numbers are people who are up. There is another group goes up, who it could be said were not normally up at this hour. this group was situated in a top-secret library in the village center. This group composed of a key people who are looking through a number of large books throughout the library. The one who was doing the most work at that moment was a certain young Chunin, who had been the first of his class to reach that rank. He quickly went through book after book. Looking over them as fast as anyone could possibly do so.

Shikamaru's mind raced as he read book after book, one at a time trying to figure out the complex code he had been given earlier that day. The code was unlike anything he'd ever seen in his entire life, far more charging, far more difficult, and far less easy to solve. He knew you would have to look at this as if it were a great mental game. One of those self imposed great challenges, far better than the challenges his opponents gave him at shoji. So this was also a challenge which he knew he had to rise up to meet, one which he knew he had to beat. This was something to help a friend and a good friend on top of that, one who had been there to help him on numerous occasions, and this was his chance to help a friend again as well.

Shikamaru thought about the person for whom he was doing this favor for. He and Naruto had gone back quite a ways, just as he had gone back a good ways with every member of the Konoha 9. Still, the friendship he had with the blonde shinobi was different from the friendship that he had with most of the other Konoha 9. He remembered the day when he first meet Naruto at school, and how annoying the hyperactive youngster could be. He remembered that Naruto would somehow manage to mess up his nap during class with his loud outburst, and his fights with other students were just troublesome to listen to across the classroom. Still, he also remembered the trouble, he, Choji, Naruto, and Kiba would get into, sometimes even escaping from. He always saw Naruto as one of the losers, a group of misfit kids who were not cool enough to fit in, and he always like that for some reason. He was glad that he graduated with him in his class too. He then remember with a sigh, the whole events which went down in the forest of death, and the prelims. At that point, while the two got together, they still were not very close friends. The time between the prelims, and the final round gave him a chance to get to know the knucklehead fool much better. He learned that he could be a really good person, and was interesting to be around. Shikamaru knew that Naruto's decision to push him into the ring before his match was something he need to thank him for. He was going to just give up before hand, and he would of never become a chunin if that would of happened. Then despite the opening complaint, Naruto made a great teammate on the mission to get Sasuke. Shikamaru wished he would have been able to help more, but that was a experience he would never forget. When Naruto left, he was sad to see him go, and when he returned he was surprised by just how much he had grown. Shikamaru looked back at the paper for a second but his mind slipped back to his old friend. He remembered how much he regretted not going with Naruto to bring back Sasuke. He wondered what it would have been like had he gone on that mission. If he would have been able to come up with a better plan to bring back the Uchiha. Then when his teacher died, he was glad that Naruto had helped him get revenge by taking out one of the two who had cause the death. This code, would be his thanks to his friend. His thanks for helping him so much over the years, while asking for so little.

The next morning, Naruto woke up early, and noticed a note from the Hokage under his door. The note told him to go to the top-secret library. Naruto smiled, as he knew what this meant. He knew that Shikamaru had already broken the code, that Jiraya had left him before his own death. Now he could figure the secret which was so important for the future of the village.

Some how thinking about it, Naruto was hardly surprised that Shikamaru had figured out the code so quickly. Naruto laughed to himself as he though back on his friendship with the formerly lazy genius. He thought what his reaction would have been if you had asked him 4 years before about this moment. He would of laughed and said something about how Shikamaru was to stupid to do something like breaking such a impossible code. Shikamaru, while he never made fun of him during their childhood, was not a close friend either. In fact, it was not until, the incident where Gaara tried to kill Lee, that they started to become close friends. Then he was also the most pleasant of the shinobi to talk with at the last part of the Chunin exam. While he couldn't figure out why Shikamaru gave up when he had won the match against Temari, he was glad that he was the one to make Chunin. Still, the moment that Naruto truly began to respect Shikamaru was when he willingly used himself as a sacrifice to hold of the sound shinobi during the attack by sound and sand villages. Then there was the attempt to bring back Sasuke, and while they failed, he would be eternally grateful for the help he had given to solve that problem. It was also here when he realized that Shikamaru was a true genius, and he knew that he would never be as smart as his friend. Still, when he got back, he was surprised to see how much he had improved with the new shadow sewing jutsu. He found himself not surprised at all when he managed to beat Hidan. Now he knew he would have to depend on him more then ever, and he knew he could. Both of the young warriors, knew the other, and knew that the other was one of the greatest shinobi in the village, and one of the best friends they had.

A/n- I don't do that many one-shots, I hope that you enjoyed this one, feel free to leave a word in the review.I fixed it up to make it read better.


	2. New Team 7

New Team 7

I don't own naruto or its characters

Sai sat quietly looking out of the window of his small little apparment, all around the room sat numerous paintings of his. Each of them looked good to the eye, but as Sai looked at all of his previous painting he felt somewhat empty inside, each one of the paintings was top notch, a painting of a forest, or waterfall, or any grand natural wonder done so well that the person looking at the painting could almost feel as if they were at that location. Yet to him, they were nothing, they were just emotionless paints facts he had put down on the paper. They did even have a name, they were more like missions for him, the works of his soul, as he heard Painters normal did.

Sai looked at the painting he had last finished with its title of friends, and smiled, a real smile for once. It was a painting that was far more then the other paintings in the building. It was when he saw this painting that he felt proud of his artist skills. Sai mind ran back to when he was forced to take this mission and work with the odd team. He remembered how passionate that Naruto had been when they first met. Sai wondered how such a shinobi could anything worth while. He remembered how Sakura had been just as passionate as Naruto, but far better at hiding her feelings, and confusing with them. He also remembered the talk of bonds and friendship from both Naruto and Sakura. He often wondered while at starting his other mission what was so special about friendships, and bonds. Yet, as that mission went on he felt he could understand the meaning better, and what friendship meant. These realizations were why he now wanted to learn more about the social world, and why that painting was his favorite.

Across the town, Sakura was thinking about her new team at the same point. She knew Naruto very well, and nothing with him ever changed, but at the same time, her realizations about her old teammate gave her better understanding about him. Sakura was always amazed at just the type of shinobi that Naruto was starting to become, and even was starting to wonder about her own feelings towards him.

Then she wondered on to her odd teammate, Sai, Sakura didn't like Sai at the start, he seemed like he was smug stuck up. More importantly, he was not Sasuke, and he looked a lot like her old crush. Yet it was more then this that made Sakura angry at Sai, he was fake, and so quick to make fun of others including Sasuke. Then it looked like he had betrayed them, she had never hated someone more then at that moment. Yet, when all was said and done, he had done just as much or maybe more to bring Sasuke back to Konoha then anyone else. He had in the end shown a side that even she had to like. Now thinking about her socially lacking teammate, she was proud of his efforts to improve at dealing with people socially, and his attempts to make bonds with others.

A bit later, Naruto was walking down the street when he noticed Sai carrying a book, more then likely about social skills. Naruto walked on, but began to think about his teammates. Sai, was different and there was no two ways about that. While he looked like his own rival, he acted nothing like Sasuke. At first when Naruto come to this realization, he didn't like the fact. Then again the artist had gotten on the wrong foot when he first attacked him, Shikamaru and Choji, and then later made fun of him when he first meet him. He remembered how Sai really creped him out when he first meet the former Root shinobi. He would always seemingly go out of his way to make fun of him, and yet at the same time smile, and follow him to some degree.

Then there was the issue that he was replacing the person he was sworn to bring back, that didn't help at all. Having him in general meant that Konoha had given up on Sasuke, and Naruto took that somewhat out on Sai for being that symbol. Then when he betrayed them, Naruto started to believe that he was worse then his old rival in every way. Yet, he stood up to try to fight for his bond with Sasuke. Naruto never saw that one coming from a million miles away. Then he realized that Sai was so socially messed up, and acted like how he did cause of his training, something Naruto felt really sorry for. Naruto was actually glad to see Sai working on his skills and though annoying and interfering with time with Sakura, he had to admit, Sai was a good teammate.

As he thought about that, he remembered his old teammate, and smiled. Sakura, she was just as wonderful as she was when she was younger. He was shocked to see how much Sakura had improved over the two and a half years when he was gone. She was pretty much just a smaller younger version of Tsunade. Yet, she remained fixed on Sasuke, something he knew he couldn't change. Still, even with that fact, Naruto knew he would protect her with all of his being, and try to convince her that he cared for her greatly.

As all three members of the new team thought about each other, they slowly but surely came to the same conclusion. That while they were a very different group, that they were a still a great team, and each was more then a bit happy to be each others teammate, and have the others as their teammates.

A/N- I hope you liked it, as I have been reminded, I am really not a very good writer, actually a pretty horrific one. Still, I hope my writing can bring you some joy. Also these are meant to be of course one shot things, if you have any ideas want to help, or anything leave a review. Thanks again for reading.


End file.
